In these contrasting outfits, I wanted to highlight the universality of overalls. Summer or winter: it's the way you style them that matters. I find that showing the outfits side by side is, by far, more effective to show the contrast and crossovers.

I chose to go with the exact same colour scheme for both outfits: blue, white, and black. These colours and the way they compliment each other just feels very refreshing to me. It is the style/cut of the white tops (off-the-shoulder for Nyamat vs turtleneck sweater for me) that is the most distinctive feature of either outfit.
Since I wanted to go for more of a casual look, both outfits were paired with white sneakers; comfortable, but more importantly, adhering to the colour scheme.

It's been a while since I've simply drawled on about real life other than simply talking about clothes so in other news:
ya girl has started university! I'm proud to announce that I have been studying fashion design since September. I suppose at the least you could say it's exciting, but more than that, I've found my nerves coming alight and my confidence waning. It's inspiring but also terrifying to be surrounded by so many talented and knowledgeable people. Why am I openly admitting this to the void of the internet? Simply because I know others are definitely feeling the same way. And hey, perhaps in a couple years or so, even this moment in my life won't seem so crucial, but I can only laugh about it later if I actually feel the nerves now, right?
Thus far, the academic experience has been...interesting but more on that later (a.k.a. I'll write a post on that once my semester comes to a close so stay tuned!).

Again, another HUGE shoutout to Nyamat Phoolka for being a complying guinea pig model for me on this shoot! You can follow her on her instagram @nyamaphoolka.
I also promise the photos from my next shoot will be much higher quality than these (oops)!

Body image. I've thought a fair bit how to approach this topic on my blog before. This is a sensitive topic for many people, myself included, and understandably so.

I don't want to be perceived as "one of those skinny girls who talk about body positivity for views" and I definitely don't want this post to come across as "yeah i may be considered skinny bUT..." (as though I'm saying this stuff simply to remain relevant in a discussion). I find that tone matters a fair bit when approaching sensitive subjects such as this, so please bear with me and try not to be too cynical.

Yes, of course I have issues with my body image; everyone does. Whether or not that's solely a byproduct of glossy magazine covers at this point in time I think can be debated, but I think we all inevitably compare ourselves to those around us. Simply a glance at a stranger on the street can leave you yearning: I wish I could wear that, or if only I looked like that, I could wear this. Since I started university in the city I can say that feeling has only been heightened.

The line of thought I really wanted to focus on through this blog post is the notion that a person must look a certain way in order to wear a certain article of clothing and make it look good. I suppose, sticking to traditional styling techniques and the logistics of waistlines, hemlines, etc. one might believe it to be true, but I also believe that in the era of millennials and unbound creativity as we have it today, it might be time to begin to challenge such foolish notions and get a little uncomfortable in our clothes to make us comfortable in our bodies.

Sunglasses: Aliexpress (I know, sounds crazy but they were surprising good quality)

I tried to do that with this outfit. I personally am not a fan of fabrics that hug around my stomach and waist (see: the reason I no longer wear bodycon dresses and am hesitant with crop tops). The pieces in this outfit, however, are tighter around those areas and looser everywhere else. To keep it a little bit on the safer end (oops!) I chose to pair the same colours and vertical stripes in both the top and pants to elongate (a classic styling trick!) and make the look a little more classy.

While that may have been the route I chose for these photos, I'm going to challenge you all to be bolder than I was (not difficult to do). It sounds terrifying: to suddenly just be able to jut out your chin and flounce around with all of your insecurities on display, but I am a firm believer that if you exude confidence (even if its fake--fake it till you make it!), whatever your concerns are will be drowned out simply by the vibes you reflect.

Inspired by Dia&Co's Try-Day Friday initiative (essentially, every Friday they challenge their employees to bend their boundaries and wear something new, something that they would have been hesitant to wear otherwise), I myself decided that once a week, I'll try to wear/style pieces from my wardrobe in a way I wouldn't normally do. I think playing around with stylistic choices is fun and can help you to feel comfort in the discomfort of something new and foreign.

I encourage you to do the same. Find solace in the fact that we are all insecure about something and someone will always have something that might fit the societal norms regarding beauty, yet you are so much more than that.

If that still isn't sufficient comfort, remember that everything is a trend, even what is considered a beautiful body. I'm sure you've all seen that one Buzzfeed ideal-body-types-throughout-history video (admittedly not the most academic source but hey, that's pop culture). THE POINT IS that culture is constantly evolving; the notions of beauty and fashion within a culture are transient. And if there ever was an era that praised self love, it's this one.

To close off, I just want to say an incredible thank you to my photographer Eyad Khalil. I'm sure you all noticed the quality of these photos increased significantly and I have him to thank for that. You can check him out on VSCO hereand instagram @eyad_khalil_: he has HUGE things ahead of him, mark my words.

I know this isn't Mary's Room 02, and for all you loyal readers wondering where it's at, fear not. It's nearly finished, I just got quite backtracked while doing final exams and preparing for my first year at university. I promise it is on its way!

Mood: Somber Colours: Plum, Burgundy, Yellow Orange, Navy Blue, MustardStyled by: Safia SheikhInitially when I planned this post, I intended to write some form of poetry or prose inspired by the theme of the post. Then, I realized that perhaps it would appear too pretentious. Therefore, here is yet another segment of Safia's (Filtered) Musing.

If you've read my previous post, you might know that this post was inspired by the Mary's Room thought experiment. What I didn't mention in the post is that there's an additional video that kind of got me thinking (it's more science-y). It's a video made by youtuber VSauce, and here's a link to watch it, for all my nerds.Now before I get into the clothes, I must thank my very complying model/guinea pig Nyamat (you can follow her on Instagram @nyamatphoolka) for essentially allowing me to experiment on her and being very patient throughout the entire process. I literally could not have done this without her. Now. The Clothes.It's winter here, but I'm an all-year-round-skirts kind of person, so I chose to go for an A-line skirt with tights underneath. Since it was cold, I opted for a cropped mock-neck patterned sweater in the same base colour as the skirt, while the patterns on the top helped to balance out an otherwise mundane outfit.

For Nyamat, I went for a lighter, fall-themed look. She too, wore an A-line skirt, but her tights were sheer, and consisted of elaborate patterning. She wore a simple, black Guess top with matching, knee-high boots to help add symmetry to the outfit. To ensure the look wasn't washed out with a drab colour scheme, I added a bright, printed scarf to the outfit, to bring in a pop of colour.

Of course, these are very conventional shades for the colder seasons. Deep, darker colours tend to be worn in winter, but that does not mean that those are the only colour options for the coldest season. In my next post (Mary's Room 02), I'll cover universality in pieces and colour schemes through the seasons, so be sure to look out for it!

This was kind of a shorter post than usual from me, and for that, I apologize. My next post will definitely be longer and (hopefully) have more depth. For now, I must return to studying calculus. Thanks for reading, and be sure to subscribe to my reader's list for my next post!

With exam season coming to a close, I can confirm that I have a surprise announcement for you all. Coming this month (February), I am very very excited to be introducing a collaboration project!!!
That is correct, I am no longer giving you all radio silence (wooohoooooo!) and instead, am kicking back with a 2 or 3--I haven't decided yet--part conceptual collaboration project. This is some super duper exciting news, and I've worked quite hard on this. I wanted to do something a little different this time, so it's more conceptual/complementing visuals than my regular post style. If it sounds confusing right now, don't worry; it'll all make sense with time.

So. How is it a collaboration, you might ask? Well, I was given the opportunity to style a very willing model, and, essentially create some edgy, colour-coded visuals. That's why this project is going to be called "Mary's Room".
For all you who do not know, "Mary's Room", or the Knowledge Argument, is actually a thought experiment posed by Frank Jackson in 1982, and the source of my inspiration for this shoot. The video below explains it pretty coherently:

Hope that's got you a little excited, can't wait to reveal it to you all.

Before I even begin this post I just want to give a big, massive, gigantic, mammoth thank you to Zainab Anwar for the new logo art (my blog needed revamping anyways!). You can check out her brilliant artwork on her instagram @zainabxanwar. Her style is unique and she is most definitely what I would describe as an "inclusive" artist (if you take a look you'll understand what I mean).

Recently I was on vacation in the United States. Let's just say a road trip is not the most recommendable course of action to take during a heat wave. Thank goodness air conditioning exists and is accessible to me.

Sunglasses: Ardene

There were a lot of places I had the opportunity to visit on my trip. I was in about 6 states on this road trip and got to spend time with family and friends I don't get to see often, which I was incredibly thankful for.

For the most part, I explored New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York.

Choker: Hot Topic

(FOR THE RECORD I just want to mention that I did, in fact, change my outfit multiple times. I simply tried to have at least one day in each place where I wore this one for the sake of background variety for you all so please, don't misunderstand).

In New Hampshire, I was able to see the Old Man of the Mountain...or, actually, I wasn't. See, the actual rock formation, created from granite, eroded over the years due to rain, and is now completely diminished.

I must say, though, New Hampshire is a stunning state. The landscape is filled with looming mountains draped in cloaks of forests. It's all very pleasant to look at.

In Connecticut, I had the opportunity to explore the Yale campus, visit East Rock Park (WHICH HAS BY FAR THE MOST SPECTACULAR AND BREATHTAKING VIEW OF THE SUNSET THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY SEVENTEEN YEARS OF LIFE), and take a steam train and riverboat ride.

Oh yes, I also visited a sunflower maze.

Finally, after Connecticut, it was NYC. It was actually my first time visiting New York City. Due to the weather and a couple hiccups in the plan, I only had enough time to visit and explore Time Square. That in itself was quite amusing but I was disconcerted by the amount of people dressed up in characters that wanted me to take pictures with them (I find adults dressed up as characters like that terrifying). Anyway, I had a great time and had the opportunity to break a lot of my ingrained stereotypes about America (you have my sincerest apologies).

Recently, a lot of vintage/90's style has been returning to stores. Honestly, I'm not especially keen on that style as of right now, but I admire the layering trend. So I thought it ought to be time I purchased a pair of overalls. Boy, am I ever glad I made that decision.

Unfortunately for me, the overalls dress I purchased is a little bit too big on me, causing the straps to fall off continuously. On the other hand, the larger size makes the dress a lot more comfortable and loose. I've also never owned anything with an A-line style skirt before, so it was a new experience.

As much as I would have liked to pair the dress with some heeled wedges or block heeled sandals, comfort was the first and foremost thing on my mind. That's why my shoe choice was sneakers (women's New Balance WR996HP in pearl white). I feel as though white sneakers might be almost more versatile than black sneakers; they have a knack for making an outfit pop.

Summer 2015 was HOT, to say the least, and I'll be honest with you, my decision to wear monochrome shades was most certainly not the best decision on that particularly warm day last year.

Yes, last year. I've been inactive for quite some time now. Let me digress: I've been busy. (Turns out that someone's study habits need to improve!)

But alas, that day last year marked the return of the shalwar. Perhaps you remember my first ever fashion-related post on this blog (THE HORRORS OF THE PAST OH MY GOD) where I talked about East-meets-West blah blah, yeah? Well, I went with a similar look this time, although this one was most certainly not a semi-formal look.

In case you're wondering about the title of this post, it's supposed to be a reference to how these sunglasses make me look like a dragonfly (which is a bug, and there's a movie...about bugs....called A Bug's Life...yeah you get it) and I love them, to be honest (lmao).

Although a little unclear in the picture above, I'm wearing a "Free Palestine/Save Gaza" bracelet I purchased at a protest in my city. However, if you would like to support the cause, you can buy similar types of Free Palestine merchandise from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign here (proceeds go towards supporting the cause). While you're on their website, I would also suggest checking out the boycott page. Even something as little as refraining from supporting a certain company goes a long way! One of my favourite fashion bloggers' (Hoda Katebi) boycott page is also a useful resource if you're just trying to learn more about certain brands and reasons to boycott.

I would say I miss summer, but today it actually hit the high 20's and is said to be nice for the rest of the week. Yay for running season!

This cardigan is actually a DIY, would you believe? It's the material of a sheer dupatta, cut and stitched in such a way that it is wearable. I love to recycle, you see. Go green and all that.

I would suggest that this summer, we all try something new. I hope to get a head-start on my courses for next year (nerd alert) and try volunteering in various places. Don't forget to go outside this summer and get a breath of fresh air. Also, if you're going outside, remember to use sunscreen with SPF 30 or above and don't forget to reapply (mom alert). Make sure you drink lots of water, get lots of sleep, and meet up with a bunch of your friends and family. Have a great rest-of-the-year!

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About me

Welcome to my space. This is me, and I enjoy to experiment with a variety of concepts. I think honesty is a virtue, which is why I, yung reader, am alerting you now before you plunge in, that I am an inconsistent one. If you aren't particularly bothered by that, wonderful. If you are particularly bothered by that, feel free to subscribe (below) to get notified whenever I make a new post!